What s the Difference Between 32 Bit and 64 Bit?
What's the Difference Between 32-Bit and 64-Bit? GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Software & Apps > Windows 350 350 people found this article helpful
echo %PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE% You might get a response like AMD64 to indicate that you have a x64 based system, or x86 for 32-bit. This is another command that works by checking for information in the HKLM registry hive:
reg query "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment" /v PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE That command should result in much more text, but then end with a response like one of these:
PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE REG_SZ x86 PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE REG_SZ AMD64 The best way to use one of these commands is to copy them here, right-click in the black space in Command Prompt, and then paste the command. These commands only tell you the hardware architecture, not the kind of Windows version you're running. They're likely the same since x86 systems can only install a 32-bit version of Windows, but it's not necessarily true since a 32-bit version of Windows can be installed on x64 systems, too.
What's the Difference Between 32-Bit and 64-Bit?
What they mean and why they're different
By Tim Fisher Tim Fisher Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability Emporia State University Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the VP and General Manager of Lifewire. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on May 16, 2022 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share EmailIn This Article
Expand Jump to a Section Meaning of 64-Bit and 32-Bit 64-Bit vs. 32-Bit Operating Systems Are You Running Windows 64 or 32-Bit? Why the Difference Matters Frequently Asked Questions In the computer world, 32-bit and 64-bit refer to the type of central processing unit, operating system, driver, software program, etc., that utilizes that particular architecture. You've probably seen the option to download a piece of software as a 32-bit version or a 64-bit version. The difference does, in fact, matter because the two were programmed for separate systems.What Do They Mean
32-bit hardware and software are often referred to as x86 or x86-32. 64-bit hardware and software are often referred to as x64 or x86-64. 32-bit systems utilize data in 32-bit pieces, while 64-bit systems utilize data in 64-bit pieces. In general, the more data that can be processed at once, the faster the system can operate. There are several other advantages to a 64-bit system, most practically the ability to use significantly greater amounts of physical memory (more than the 4 GB allowed by a 32-bit machine). See what Microsoft has to say about the memory limits for different versions of Windows. A 64-bit processor can handle 64 bits of data at once, which allows it to compute information faster regardless of the processor's clock speed. It allows for more memory usage because, with 32-bit processors, only 232 addresses of RAM can be accessed (all 32-digit binary numbers). This restriction means the processor uses a much lower amount of memory than 64-bit processors, which can read double the digits. In fact, with every additional digit, the maximum number of addresses that can be accessed doubles, too, allowing for much more memory than a 32-bit processor. With 64-bit processors having a larger bit size and therefore the ability to calculate bigger numbers, the computer also ends up dealing with everything at a much more precise level than a 32-bit computer. Pixels on your screen, for example, can be colored and placed more accurately than pixels on a 32-bit computer.64-Bit and 32-Bit Operating Systems
Most new processors are based on the 64-bit architecture and support 64-bit operating systems. These processors are also fully compatible with 32-bit operating systems. All editions of Windows 11 and most editions of Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, and Windows Vista are available in 64-bit format. Of the editions of Windows XP, only Professional is available in 64-bit. All editions of Windows, from XP up to 10, are available in 32-bit. Every Mac operating system since v10.8 (Mountain Lion) has been 64-bit. Like Windows, Linux can be 32-bit or 64-bit. You can see which you're running with the lscpu command.Not Sure if the Copy of Windows on Your PC Is 32-Bit or 64-Bit
The quickest and easiest way to see if you're running a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows is to check what it says in Control Panel. Another simple method is to check the Program Files folder; there's more information on that below. To see the hardware architecture, open Command Prompt and enter this command:echo %PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE% You might get a response like AMD64 to indicate that you have a x64 based system, or x86 for 32-bit. This is another command that works by checking for information in the HKLM registry hive:
reg query "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment" /v PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE That command should result in much more text, but then end with a response like one of these:
PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE REG_SZ x86 PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE REG_SZ AMD64 The best way to use one of these commands is to copy them here, right-click in the black space in Command Prompt, and then paste the command. These commands only tell you the hardware architecture, not the kind of Windows version you're running. They're likely the same since x86 systems can only install a 32-bit version of Windows, but it's not necessarily true since a 32-bit version of Windows can be installed on x64 systems, too.